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Human Relations Department |
Recent Magazine Articles
Health Coverage When Injured at Work
(May/June 2013) Employees who are injured on duty and placed on
the rolls of the Office of Workers Compensation Programs (OWCP) remain
eligible for health benefits, provided they are enrolled in one of
the Federal Employee Health Benefit (FEHB) plans for five years preceding
the start of compensation. Employees with less than five years of
service must be enrolled continuously from their first opportunity
to participate. [read more]
OIG ‘Special Agents’
Don’t Have Special Rights
(March/April 2013) In a recent decision, the Employees Compensation
Appeals Board (ECAB) ruled that the Office of Workers’ Compensation
Programs (OWCP) acted improperly when it terminated the benefits
of an injured worker based on evidence that was impermissibly obtained
(F.S., Appellant; Docket 11-863;
Issued 9/26/2012). The ECAB concluded that special agents of the
USPS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) violated several federal
regulations in a fraud investigation involving the claimant — an
all-too-common practice. In its ruling, ECAB admonished OWCP for departing
from its obligations, stating vehemently that evidence created outside
applicable regulations should be rejected. [read more]
Donations Desperately Needed
To Provide Assistance
(January/February 2013) Donations to the Postal Employees’ Relief
Fund (PERF) are desperately needed to provide assistance to postal
families who have been devastated by Hurricane Sandy and other disasters
that occurred this past year. The fund never fully recovered from the impact
of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. PERF managed to survive 10 of the
costliest storms ever to hit the United States — including eight in
the last decade — but
the storms have taken a toll. More than $9 million in relief grants
were distributed to active and retired postal employ ees who were
ravaged by Katrina, Rita and Wilma alone. [read
more]
The War at Home
(November/December 2011) Pollutants from open-air burn pits,
fires and clean-up operations are believed to be causing serious
health problems for our military men and women. At least 1,000 troops
and veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have mysteriously
fallen ill. Their otherwise inexplicable conditions are wide-ranging
and include rashes, joint pain, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease and cancers. [read more]
Solidarity in the Great Outdoors
(September/October 2012) Hunting, fishing and shooting are as
American as apple pie. For some, these activities are recreational,
for many, it’s a way of life.
Union members and their families are no exception. Many have taken
part in these great American past times for generations, which is
why I am excited to introduce our members to the Union
Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA). For the first time in history, more
than six million union sportsmen and women have a national organization
that supports their passion for outdoor living and their commitment
to the labor movement. [read more]
New Online Tool for OWCP Claims
(July/August 2012) The Employees’ Compensation Operations
and Management Portal (ECOMP) is the newest on-line tool created by
the Department of Labor Office of Worker’s Compensation Programs (OWCP)
to assist with claims processing and tracking. The system permits
claimants, representatives, employing agency staff and medical providers
to upload documents directly into existing OWCP files through the
internet. ECOMP enables Claims Examiners (CEs) to view the new information
within four hours of submission.
[read more]
More on New FECA Regulations
(May/June 2012) The March-April 2012 issue of The American Postal Worker addressed significant changes to the administrative policies of the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA). Other important changes are outlined below.
§10.7 Adds two new forms: CA-3, Report of Work Status, and CA-20a Attending Physician’s Supplemental Report, for the proper recording and reporting of injuries.
§10.18 Requires a beneficiary to report to OWCP any felony conviction or imprisonment that would forfeit their right to compensation during incarceration. [read more]
New FECA Regulations
(March/April 2012) An exhaustive list of new regulations
that change the administrative policies of the Federal Employees’ Compensation
Act (FECA) went into effect on Aug. 29, 2011. These are the first revisions
since 1999. Although these changes included some improvements, a disturbing
percentage of the amendments can be characterized as anti-worker. [read
more]
Problems with Central ‘Case Create’
(January/February 2012) On Oct. 1, 2011, the Office of
Workers’ Compensation
Programs (OWCP), Division of Federal Employees’ Compensation (DFEC),
centralized its case creation and data entry operations. The change
does not affect how workers make injury claims or file for benefits,
but it does alter employer processes and create potential problems
for claimants. [read more]
Meet Our New Favorite Ball Team
Breakfast for Champions
(November/December 2011) APWU locals all over the country are
seizing the opportunity to support the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball
Team. The Human Relations Department asked locals and state organizations
to host a breakfast and organize our members to cheer for this remarkable
team when they visit various cities to play ball... We first learned
of the team from a news report about the Wounded Warriors, who had
handily defeated an FBI team by a football-like margin of 35-10. [read
more]
The Status of NRP
(September/October 2011) Recently a Postal Service official
confirmed that as of December 2010 all reassessments were completed.
As a result, the National Reassessment Process protocols are no longer
being used. APWU was advised that official union notification has been
delayed until authorization is granted by the USPS Legal Department
and Labor Relations. [read more]
National Reassessment Processes
(April-June 2011) There are two USPS National Reassessment
Processes (NRPs), each with a unique set of guidelines. It’s helpful
to understand the differences. NRP MMI is the original reassessment
process. It only targets employees who have reached their maximum medical
improvement (MMI). Under this process, employees and their APWU representatives
receive two weeks advance notice before an initial “interview” is
conducted by the NRP Team, which consists of a USPS representative
from Operations, Labor Relations and Health Management Resources (formerly
Injury Compensation). When a fourth management representative attends,
the union is permitted an additional representative to observe the
process.
[read more]
National Reassessment Process Update
Unemployment Compensation
(September/October 2010) Injured employees who undergo the
National Reassessment Process (NRP) and are told by the Postal Service
either that there is only partial-day work available or that there
is no work available, should consider applying for unemployment compensation.
This temporary financial assistance can serve as an important monetary
bridge during the time that an employee is waiting for his or her OWCP
compensation to be processed. [read
more]
House Resolution 111:
Leave No Man Behind
(July/August 2010) As of 2005, approximately
89,000 servicemen remain missing from all American wars since World
War II. As unionists, we enforce contracts. It is time as citizens
we mandate our government to honor the contract it signed with
the courageous men and women who have worn our country’s
uniform. This includes bringing them home. [read
more]
EEOC Upholds Class Action
(May/June 2010) On May 30, 2008, in the case of Sandra McConnell
et al v. United States Postal Service, an Administrative Judge (AJ)
for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) certified
a class action complaint alleging that the USPS had discriminated
against all rehabilitation and limited duty employees on the basis
of disability when it implemented the National Reassessment Process.
The complainant made numerous claims which the presiding AJ categorized
into four broader complaints: The NRP fails to provide a reasonable
accommodation; creates a hostile work environment; wrongfully discloses
medical information; and has an adverse impact on disabled workers.
[read more]
GAO Misses the Mark
(March/April 2010) The Government Accountability Office
(GAO) presented a 46-page report on the Postal Service’s National Reassessment
Process (NRP) to Congress recently, but failed to address many glaring
problems, including many issues raised by APWU representatives. As
evidenced by the report, the GAO fails to fully grasp the NRP, and
apparently has been duped by the Postal Service regarding the program’s
intentions and value. The GAO simply doesn’t seem to understand the
unnecessary employee hardships being caused by the program. The GAO
appears to be more concerned about substantiating its previously
stated position that postal employees’ compensation and benefits
should be reduced than it is about the cost of discriminating against
injured workers. [read more]
OIG ‘Fraud’ Campaign
(January/February 2010) Who’s scamming who? The USPS Office
of Inspector General recently launched a “Workers’ Compensation
Fraud Campaign.” In typical OIG fashion, one of its strategies involves
demonizing injured workers by having an actor posing as a postal
employee cheerfully brag about cheating the Workers’ Comp program.
[read more]
OWCP Updates
(September/October 2009) Postal employees who sustain
a workplace injury have the right to seek prompt medical treatment from
the physician of their choice. Examination by a USPS contract-physician
should not interfere with this treatment. In fact, injured workers have the
right to decline treatment from the USPS provider. [read
more]
Rehab Act Expanded
(July/August 2009) The Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits workplace
discrimination against employees with disabilities, has been significantly
expanded with the recent passage of amendments to the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA). The amendments set new standards for determining
an individual’s
disability status and shifts attention to employers meeting their
obligations to make reasonable accommodations for disabled workers
to be able to perform jobs, even if it means changing the manner
in which a job is performed. Although the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC) has not issued regulations implementing the new
provisions, the USPS must still comply with the law, which became
effective on Jan. 1, 2009. [read more]
OWCP Refresher
(May/June 2009) Postal employees who sustain a workplace
injury have the right to seek prompt medical treatment from the physician
of their choice. Examination by a USPS contract-physician should not
interfere with this treatment. In fact, injured workers have the right
to decline treatment from the USPS provider. [read
more]
Happy Birthday, EAP
(January/February 2009) On Nov.12, the USPS Employees Assistance
Program turned 40 years old. The first postal EAP program — then
known as the Program for Alcoholic Recovery (PAR) — opened its doors
in San Francisco. From those humble beginnings, the postal EAP has
grown into a state-of-the art award winning program. The EAP is now
a free, voluntary, and confidential program that offers assessment,
referral, short-term counseling, and work/life consultation to postal
employees and their families. [read more]
